The 46-year-old acknowledged in a San Diego courtroom Friday that he possessed about 20 kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute. He faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced Nov. 2.

Loaiza had been under surveillance when he was arrested in February near a house in Imperial Beach, which borders Tijuana, Mexico. His sliver Mercedes SUV had just left the garage when authorities stopped him.

Loaiza played for several U.S. teams between 1995 and 2008, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. He had a 21-9 record with the White Sox in 2003 and started in the All-Star Game that year.